Dental Bridges at Bellevue Family Dentistry in Green Bay, WI
If you have one or more missing teeth, a dental bridge can fill the gap with one or more artificial teeth. A bridge is typically made of crowns on either side of the missing tooth or teeth supporting the pontic (false tooth) and is cemented in place. To get a dental bridge, you need healthy teeth on either side of the missing ones.
Dental bridges can provide many benefits, including:
Restoring a natural look to your mouth/smile
Restoring the ability to speak normally, as missing teeth can impede proper enunciation
Maintaining normal facial structure by preventing bone loss from the jaw at the site of the missing tooth/teeth
Restoring the ability to chew food efficiently
Preventing adjacent teeth from moving into the space can cause problems with your bite and lead to other complications
During the first visit, the teeth that will receive the bridge are examined and prepared. X-rays are taken of the teeth and the bone around them.
The teeth receiving the bridge will be reduced in size across the top and sides of the tooth. This is because we are making space for the bridge itself. If too much of your tooth is missing — due to damage or decay — a filling material can be used to “build up” enough tooth structure for the bridge to cover.
After reshaping the teeth, a paste or putty is used to make a copy (also called an impression) of the teeth that will receive the bridge. Impressions of the teeth above and below the teeth getting the bridge will also be made. To make sure that the bridge will fit your bite.
The impressions are sent to a dental laboratory. The laboratory makes the crowns and usually returns them to the dentist’s office in two weeks. During this first office visit, your dentist will make a temporary bridge to cover and protect the prepared teeth while waiting on the permanent bridge.
On the second visit, the permanent bridge is placed on your teeth. First, the temporary bridge is removed, and the teeth are polished clean. Then the permanent bridge bite, fit, and color are checked. Once the bridge fit is done, the bridge is permanently cemented in place.
